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[NTU] [ARC-03-GENIN] Chapter : 37
🕑 Added 2024-05-24 20:30:35 +0000 UTCIn the yakiniku restaurant owned by an Uchiha clansman, three youthful voices rang out from the front to the back.
It was already half past five in the afternoon, and Kirishima, Asuka, and Toshiro, who had spent the afternoon resting, gathered in this barbecue restaurant, brimming with energy. They looked as if they were going to enter another battle.
Satoshi was also present. He glanced at the mountains of food piled up on the table and couldn't help but complain, with his eyes twitching.
"Toshiro, did you really need to order so much? This is enough for six adults. If you can't finish it, Uncle Daiki won't give me a refund!"
"Don't worry, Satoshi-sensei. I have a big appetite. Instead of worrying about leftovers, you should be concerned if your wallet can handle it," Toshiro replied vaguely as he picked up a piece of roasted beef with chopsticks from the grill and stuffed it into his mouth.
The barbecue here was quite good. Although it wasn't as famous as the renowned Yakiniku Q, the taste was almost as good. And since it was a family business, he naturally preferred to support his own.
At this time, the restaurant was mostly filled with Uchiha clan members, with only a few tables occupied by ordinary villagers from Konoha.
"Uncle Daiki, bring another three glasses of watermelon juice to cut the grease, and a bottle of sake for our sensei to wash it down!" Toshiro declared confidently, ordering without hesitation. He even made the decision for his sensei, ordering a bottle of sake.
Since he had the chance to make his sensei treat them, he wasn't going to hold back. His wallet had taken a hit recently, and he had to be frugal. He decided to let his sensei bear the expense.
"Hey, you three little brats, don't eat so fast! The barbecue is here to stay, and no one is going to steal it from you!"
Satoshi declined Toshiro's order of sake with a shake of his head. He looked down at the grill, where the meat was cooking, only to find that almost everything had been devoured by his three students, leaving him not even a single piece.
He didn't mind the money; his concern was for their well-being. He worried they might choke from eating too quickly.
"Sensei, you're talking too much. Instead of talking, why don't you put a few more pieces of meat on the grill? Otherwise, you won't have anything to eat later!" Asuka reminded him loudly, though she continued to eat without pausing. She picked up a piece of grilled meat, dipped it in sauce, and looked back expectantly, waiting for the drinks to arrive.
"Oh! Satoshi, it's been a while since you've come here!" called out the boss, Uchiha Daiki, as he brought over three watermelon juices and a bottle of sake. He greeted Satoshi warmly, not forgetting to tease him a bit.
Uchiha Daiki had been running this restaurant for more than 30 years. As business had improved in the past two years, he had hired two helpers to serve as waiters. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had the time to come out and greet Satoshi and chat with the guests.
"Ah, Uncle Daiki! After all, I was married some years ago... it's really... Hahaha..." Satoshi chuckled awkwardly, trying to deflect the teasing.
Watching his sensei's awkward attempt at humor, Toshiro couldn't help but silently lament sensei's strict wife. Yet, his hands never stopped moving, swiftly grabbing the last piece of barbecue from the grill.
"This piece is mine!" the three shouted in unison.
Before Toshiro could place the meat in his bowl, two other pairs of chopsticks reached out simultaneously. None of them were willing to yield, and their eyes met with a competitive spark.
Kids really don't know how to be gentlemanly!
"Enough, you three!" Satoshi's voice thundered.
'Boom! Boom! Boom!' Three heads collided with hard objects simultaneously.
"It hurts!" they cried out in unison, holding their heads in pain and momentarily forgetting the barbecue.
"So lively! Bring another three watermelon juices for these three ninjas, on the house!" Daiki declared with a smile, striding off before Satoshi or Toshiro could refuse.
"By the way, Toshiro, during the fight this morning, did I see you using one-handed seals?" Satoshi asked casually as the meal was winding down, taking a sip of his sake.
Even Asuka and Kirishima, who were nearly full, slowed their eating and listened intently.
"Haha! Did you notice, Sensei? I can only do it with simple jutsu, like the basic three jutsu and the Shunshin. More complex jutsu like the Great Fireball jutsu are still beyond me," Toshiro admitted openly, detailing his progress with one-handed seals.
'Toshiro has advanced this far?'
'You have to step up, Asuka. You're the best.'
Hearing this, Uchiha Asuka felt a pang of disappointment. During their early clan training, she had always been the top performer. She hadn't expected Toshiro to master one-handed seals ahead of her.
As the pride of her family, she was one of the few permitted to enter and exit her father's study freely. Although she had only heard of the one-handed seals, she remembered it vividly.
"What is a one-handed seal?" Kirishima asked.
Unlike Asuka and Toshiro, Kirishima's understanding of advanced jutsus was limited. He had never heard of the high-level jutsu of one-handed sealing.
Asuka rolled her eyes but still explained out loud, "When a ninja performs ninjutsu, they must first make hand seals. These seals need to be precise to ensure the correct execution of the jutsu. It requires skill to transform refined chakra into a 'jutsu' and release it.
"Generally, most seals require both hands, but some exceptional ninjas, through hard work or innate talent, can perform the seals with one hand and still execute the ninjutsu. This is known as single-handed sealing."
After explaining, Asuka glanced at Toshiro, then took a sip of the watermelon juice, trying to suppress her amazement.
"Wow, doesn't that mean you could perform two ninjutsu at the same time? That's incredible! Toshiro, can you teach me?" Kirishima asked eagerly, without a hint of politeness.
Asuka, who had just taken a sip of her juice, almost choked. "Ahem!" she coughed. How could Kirishima casually ask to be taught such a secret technique? Even within the same family, some secrets were closely guarded.
"I can teach you, but even if you learn to seal with one hand, you won't be able to perform two ninjutsu at the same time," Toshiro clarified. He wasn’t going to try and withhold information.
"You should know that it takes at least three months of dedicated meditation practice to see any effect. Without that commitment, it’s unlikely to work at all. If it weren't for the promise of learning an advanced jutsu, I don’t know if I could have persevered."
'He agreed so readily?'
Both Uchiha Satoshi and Uchiha Asuka were visibly surprised. The practice of such high-level technique is usually very private, even among family members. It was unexpected for Toshiro to offer to teach so casually.
"I'm telling you, I discovered this method through meditation..."
Toshiro then explained in detail the meditation he developed and encouraged them to try it.
"In short, if you follow my method and persist for three months, you’ll start seeing the benefits," he assured them.
"Just by meditating cross-legged, you can learn a one-handed sealing?"
All three listeners— Satoshi, Asuka, and Kirishima—looked skeptical, their expressions clearly saying, "Are you kidding me?" To them, ninjutsu training always involved chakra manipulation, and what Toshiro described sounded more like the meditative practices of monks.
Seeing their disbelief, Toshiro felt a bit betrayed. "I'm being serious! If you don't believe me, you can try it. The worst that can happen is that you waste a little time," he said, resigned to their skepticism.
'He looks like he’s telling the truth!'
'Could such a strange method really be effective?'
'Maybe I’ll give it a try when I get home. No, I don’t want to end up like a monk in a temple!'
Despite their doubts, each of them— Satoshi, Asuka, and Kirishima—considered trying his method.
"Toshiro’s training might work, but his natural talent probably plays a big part in it," Uchiha Satoshi remarked, voicing what they were all thinking.
As an experienced elite shinobi, Satoshi sensed that this meditation method might have some merit. However, he believed that Toshiro's inherent talent was more significant than the training itself. He didn't realize that meditation could play a crucial role in calming the mind for the Uchiha clan. His ambiguous and disapproving attitude ultimately led his other two disciples to abandon the meditation practice.
Eventually, the four of them polished off ten adult portions of beef. Looking at Satoshi-sensei's slightly green face, both Toshiro and Asuka snickered, their expressions gleeful. Kirishima, however, remained oblivious to the humor.
Meanwhile, Satoshi, whose wallet was not thick enough for the bill, was leaning on the counter, discussing something with Uncle Daiki. Judging by Uncle Daiki's playful expression and Satoshi's sorrowful demeanor, it was clear he was being teased. Fortunately, there was no scenario where the sensei had to stay and wash dishes to pay off the debt. After all, they were family, and they had to maintain good relations. A little humility could go a long way.
While they were discussing the practice of meditation, a shadowy figure wearing a mask suddenly appeared in the Hokage's office, knelt down, and handed the third Hokage a scroll. Without a word, the figure vanished back into the shadows.
The Third Hokage silently sighed as he reviewed the scroll, then looked up at the photo of the second Hokage on the wall. There were about twenty profiles in the stack, and the top one featured Toshiro. It detailed Toshiro's proficiency in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, intelligence, strength, speed, stamina, and hand seal skills.
All these profiles shared a common surname: Uchiha. They were records for every Uchiha Shinobi who graduated this year. This practice of creating separate files for each graduating Uchiha began before the third Hokage's tenure and has continued without interruption since its inception.
Given the secretive nature of these observations, the collected information is not entirely complete. For instance, while Toshiro's exceptional fire release jutsu was noted, his ability to perform one-handed seals was not mentioned.
Konoha's surveillance barrier encompasses the entire village, allowing the Hokage to use the Telescope Jutsu through the crystal ball to observe most areas. However, clans such as Uchiha, Hyuga, and Yamanaka are often excluded from this surveillance due to their perception and sensing abilities. It is impractical to monitor every family's activities continuously.
This incomplete surveillance is why Toshiro feels confident demonstrating his full abilities on the clan's training grounds. His meditation practice remains undetected since the Hokage doesn’t monitor the village continuously, especially during the early morning hours.
"The power of his Fire Release is immense, far beyond that of an average chunin," the third Hokage murmured to himself after thoroughly reviewing the stack of documents. Toshiro's profile included high praise from his academy instructors, highlighting his skills in ninjutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, and theoretical knowledge.
"Toshiro, I hope you also carry the Will of Fire." he said quietly.
Despite Toshiro's impressive abilities, the Hokage did not dwell too much on him. With over 10,000 ninjas under his command, an eight-year-old genin, no matter how talented, did not warrant excessive attention.
He placed the profile in a special filing cabinet and turned back to the vast sea of documents and the complex situations unfolding in the ninja world.
